The internship asset

By Erik Larson, Community Blogger

Friday

Sep 28, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 28, 2012 at 8:41 AM

According to the 2012 Student Survey conducted by The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), more than 55 percent of the Class of 2012 participated in an internship or co-op while in school. Add to that a growing number of mid-career professionals who have taken on internship roles in the hope of training for and landing a new position in this troubled economy, and you have a lot of internship experience out there competing for work in today’s tough job market. When you take into account the NACE findings that 60 percent of students who held a paid internship received an offer of employment, compared with just 36 percent of their non-interning classmates, it becomes clear that internship experience can be an asset to any job-seeker’s resume.

Some resume-writers downplay their internship experiences, tacking them onto the ends of their resumes under the education section, but work experience is work experience. If you don’t take the work you did as an intern seriously, then why should potential employers? Put intern positions at the top of the resume, and call them what they are: relevant experience.

Because the word “intern” sometimes carries negative connotations, no matter how unwarranted, you may not want to make it the first word of the entry on your CV. Start with the company name and the dates you worked there, then add your job title. If your title was, in fact, just “Intern,” then be honest. But really think about it. What was the title on the ad you answered to get the internship? How were you referred to on the job? Maybe you were the Marketing Intern or an Associate Researcher. If you reported to someone important within the organization, it may help to mention that as well. “Intern Reporting Directly to VP of Sales,” has a nice ring to it. If you were just called “Intern” but received compensation, try using “Paid Intern” or “Paid Internship” to emphasize the value the company placed on your work there.

Below the job heading on your resume, list several of your responsibilities and accomplishments. Sure, you made coffee by the gallon and photocopies by the ream, but potential employers won’t be interested in those details. Try to think of at least three important duties you were assigned during the course of your internship. Were you given a special project to complete? Did you take the initiative to implement a new practice that improved operations? Can you brag about meeting a sales goal? You can check out internship examples at collegestudentjob.org to get a grasp on how others are incorporatring this stuff.

Keep these points brief, using a bulleted list or short sentences. Don’t list every single step of every single project. “Maintained client database,” sounds professional and is much easier for an employer to digest than is, “Checked client phone numbers, confirmed business addresses, recorded customer survey responses…”.

Never embellish or, worse, flat-out lie about your internship experience. If you were part of a team presentation, for example, don’t write, “Created sales pitch for multi-million-dollar client.” Nobody will believe you. But, “Worked with Senior Marketing Executives to create graphics for sales pitch to multi-million-dollar client,” sounds, and is, impressive and relevant.

Remember to tailor the experience section of your resume to best fit each job ad you answer. A marketing firm will want to see sales experience listed first while a publishing company might be more interested in writing and editing capabilities. You wear your best suit to make a good impression at in-person interviews; be sure your resume does the same.

An internship proves that you are motivated, hard-working and interested in your chosen field. If done well, adding these jobs to your resume can be the thing that lands your CV on top of the resume pile instead of in the waste can. You worked hard and sacrificed free time and summer vacations to earn that internship experience. Now, put that experience to work for you

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